A GAGGLE of geese which has been guarding a whisky distillery for decades has been given its marching orders.

The famous flock, known as ‘The Scotch Watch’, has acted as the sentry at the Dumbuck maturation warehouses in Dumbarton since 1959.

This week drinks giant Chivas Brothers, which now owns the site, “retired” the seven remaining birds to a sanctuary in Glasgow to allow them to “live out the rest of their days in leisure”.

The birds were synonymous with the Ballantine’s whisky brand and were known throughout the world.

Whisky-loving tourists from across the globe regularly turned up at the Dumbarton site to visit the guardian geese, which have even featured in America’s Time magazine.

An insider at Chivas said: “A lot of people will be really sad to see the geese go.

“They have been a landmark in the town for decades, not only for people from this area but for tourists from across the world who would come to Ballantine’s just to see the famous geese.

“They’ve been used in adverts, their photographs have appeared on billboards and years ago Allied used to give out ties and scarves with the ‘gaggle of geese’. They’re world-famous.

“It’s a massive part of the history of the town and a massive part of the Ballantine’s brand.”

The feathered friends were first introduced in 1959 by Hiram Walker to act as watchmen for the hundreds of thousands of pounds of whisky being matured at the site, the idea being that if anyone dared to brave the gauntlet of fierce birds, the unique noise from the flock would alert residents to intruders and they could then contact police.

West Dunbartonshire Council mentions the “famous guardian geese” on the tourism section of its website.

Council leader Ronnie McColl said yesterday: “This has been a great tradition in the area. It is known not just locally but worldwide that the geese have protected the distillery in Dumbarton for many years, practically all of my lifetime. They are iconic.

“I will be sad to see them go – but I hope that they enjoy their retirement.”

At one time there were 120 Chinese geese at Dumbuck led by a gander called Mr Ballantine.

A member of staff, nicknamed “the geeseman” was employed solely to ensure their welfare, but the last person to fulfil this role left at the end of the 1990s and he was eventually replaced by an automatic feeder.

A Chivas Brothers spokeswoman said: “The geese were no longer required for security purposes, so we decided to find them a new home where they could live out the rest of their days in leisure.

“We’re delighted they have now joined the existing colony at Glasgow Green, under the care of the Glasgow Humane Society. It’s fitting that they can swim in the River Clyde, with the views of our Strathclyde grain distillery as a constant reminder of their years in the whisky industry.”